I fell down last Saturday and landed very badly on my right ankle. I knew straight away that it was serious because of the amount of pain I was in and the way I had twisted it. Another clue was when all the skaters around me stopped skating and screamed “did you see that shit!.. bent all the way back then forward then back again..” Well maybe they didn’t say that..

The picture above was taken about 3 hours after the fall while I was waiting to see a doctor at the National University Hospital ER . It doesn’t look too bad here because I put ice on the wound and elevated my leg immediately after falling.  Thanks to all the people at the skatepark that stopped and helped to make sure I was alright.

After waiting for 2 hours to see a doctor I was told that I had suffered a high impact fracture to the anterior lip of my tibia. I told the Doc I’m a GUY and that I don’t have one of those!

The X-ray below shows the fracture but it doesn’t show any of my ligaments or tendons as X-rays only show bone.  I requested an MRI scan in order to find out if any internal damage to the soft tissue had occurred. But the doctor declined my request for an MRI stating that it was NOT NECESSARY. She said she would put a back slab (cast) on it and that I should go see an orthopedic specialist in a weeks time. The doctor said I should keep my cast on for one week and that it would take 2 weeks to start healing. She was a complete baboon who in my opinion is not mentally fit to be a doctor. When I find out her name I will post it here :)

X-ray showing high impact fracture to the anterior lip of my tibia

Not happy with the doctors advice I went to see a private orthopedic specialist the next day who said that I NEEDED an MRI to see the extent of the damage. He also noted that the fracture shown in my X-ray could be from an old injury due to its characteristics. I had the MRI scan done the same say and it showed complete tears of the ATFL and CFL  as well as a partial tear to my PTFL.  I thought my fracture was bad but to hear that I had completely torn 2 of the 3 main lateral ligaments holding my ankle together took me back. Would I be able to skate? Would I be able to walk? Would I have a limp?

The doctor informed me that most sprains occur to the lateral ligament complex, the side of the ankle closest to your little toe. The three ligaments that make up the lateral ligament complex consist of the ATFL, PTFL and CFL. Usually when you sprain your ankle it is the ATFL that takes the bulk of the hit and is the first to stretch or tear.

The ankle is much more complex than this simple drawing makes out but for simplicity’s sake this will do.  Certain ligaments, tendons, muscles and bone can be weak but when these structures combine to form the complex anatomy of the ankle you get a very unique and stable joint.  Our ankles are very strong, they need to be as each withstands 1.5 times our body weight when walking and up to eight times our body weight when running.

Me outside NUH learning how to maneuver in a wheelchair a couple of hours after my fall

The orthopedic specialist said that if I wanted to play sports again or even think about getting back on my skateboard I would have to be operated on. The ligaments once ripped from the bone would be unable to reattach themselves unless they were only partial tears. Since not one but two of my ligaments had totally ruptured, my ankle would need reconstructive surgery and plastic implants.

Here is a picture of disposable underwear I had to wear under my gurney during my time at hospital. Again I had to explain I was a GUY. But then I realized they roll out into a pair of briefs.

If I had followed the advice of the doctor at the NUH ER, my operation would have been a lot more complicated due to scar tissue build up and the likelihood that the ligaments might try to reattach to my knee or shoulder. Then I would be in a real mess.

The complete reconstruction of my ankle would take about 2 hours. Then I would have to go through physiotherapy and wait 6 months before attempting to skate. Knowing I would not to be able to skate for a very long time made me distraught. I am even now worried if I will be able to skate at the same level or if I will even be able to ollie at all. I thought about going back to rollerblading for a while maybe before I jump back into skateboarding. But first thing’s first I need to learn how to walk.

Pictures of my surgery can be accessed below. Warning they are quite graphic and uncensored.

I chose to have the operation at Gleneagles hospital as I had lost all faith in NUH.

One hour after reconstructive surgery:

3 days after the operation I needed my bandage changed and to check for infections:

The doctor said there is not too much swelling and healing seems to be going well. Whenever I see this picture I think of a baby shark bite.

I have to stay in bed most of the day and keep my leg raised. The only time I get to move about is when I am doing my physiotherapy exercises or trying to take a shower. It now takes me 45 minutes to have a shower. Which is about 40 minutes longer than it used to take.

I have been wearing this Robocop boot since I woke up from the surgery.  Shit’s got Pop!

See you guys in 6 to 8 months.

Barry.

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